Department for Business and Trade

Conditions of Employment: EU Law

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she plans to revoke any regulations on employment rights following the passage of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill allows the United Kingdom to take the next step in reasserting the sovereignty of Parliament. It will end the special status of retained EU law in the UK statute book and ensures that, for the first time in a generation, the UK’s statute book will not recognise the supremacy of EU law or EU legal principles. The UK has one of the best workers’ rights records in the world and our high standards were never dependent on our membership of the EU. The Government has been conducting a comprehensive review of all retained EU law to ensure that our regulations are tailored to the needs of the UK economy, and is consulting on several regulations where we see opportunities for improvements, while not impacting workers’ rights, the consultation can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/retained-eu-employment-law-reforms

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to secure a positive outcome on Rules of Origin for automotive companies.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The UK is negotiating new Free Trade Agreements with modern Rules of Origin that support market access, enabling our industries to benefit from global trade opportunities. On Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Rules of Origin, raw material costs for automakers have spiked due to the war in Ukraine, Covid pandemic and energy crisis since we signed the TCA. This is making it harder for UK and EU manufacturers to meet the 2024 transitional rules for electric vehicles, meaning they could face 10% tariffs. We want to work with the EU to fix this specific problem, and UK Ministers and officials are engaging with EU counterparts.

Department of Health and Social Care

Smoking: Health Services

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money NHSE planned to allocate to Integrated Care Boards to fully implement the NHS Long Term Plan tobacco dependence treatment services in 2023-24 as at February 2022; how much money was allocated to ICBs for those services after the publication of the Spring Statement 2022, CP 653; and whether any, additional funding has been allocated by NHSE during financial year 2023-24 to help reduce smoking at regional and national level.

Neil O'Brien: As at February 2022, NHS England had an indicative planned integrated care board (ICB) allocation of £65.6 million to fully implement the NHS Long Term Plan tobacco dependence treatment services in 2023/24. In line with the NHS Operating Model and in agreement with ICBs, broader funding allocations have been made in 2023/24 with tobacco dependence treatment allocations forming part of the wider universal and targeted Prevention bundles, totalling £69 million.

Dental Services: Refugees

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to dental care for Ukrainian refugees.

Neil O'Brien: Ukrainians in the United Kingdom are guaranteed free access to National Health Service healthcare, including screening, vaccinations, mental health support, dental and hospital services. In September 2022 the Government announced ‘Our plan for patients’ which aims to improve patient access to NHS dental care. This includes access for Ukrainians. Information on how to access NHS dental care is outlined in the Welcome Pack provided to all Ukrainian arrivals.

Dentistry: Vacancies

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the Government's policy is on supporting the registration of overseas (a) dentists and (b) other dental care professionals to help tackle potential NHS skills shortages in those areas.

Neil O'Brien: To deliver National Health Service primary care services, a dental practitioner must be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) and listed on the Dental Performers List (DPL) of the country in which they wish to practise. The England DPL is held by NHS England, each of the Devolved Governments has its own Performers List, held by an equivalent organisation.In March 2023, we introduced legislation that allows the GDC greater flexibility to expand the registration routes for international applicants and improve its international registration processes. The GDC, as an independent regulator, has identified the ways it considers these processes can best be improved and is working to implement those changes over the next 12 months.We have also introduced changes to support overseas dentists to start working in the NHS in England. In May 2023, we introduced changes to the England Performers List Regulations to accelerate the process for overseas dentists to join the England DPL, and as of 1 April 2023, no dentist needs to pay an application fee to NHS England to join the DPL.

Dental Services: Contracts

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his expected timescale is to provide additional reforms of dental contracts.

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to help tackle regional shortfalls in the provision of NHS dental care.

Neil O'Brien: In July 2022, we announced a package of improvements to the National Health Service dental system, detailed in ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlined the steps we are taking to meet oral health need and increase access to dental care across all regions in England. These changes came into effect towards the end of 2022.However, we know that we need to do more and continue to build on these reforms. We will announce our plan for further reform of the NHS dental system later this year, and it will include several areas requiring further action to support and recover activity in NHS dentistry, such as how to incentivise NHS dentists to deliver more NHS care.From 1 April 2023, responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. NHS England has published an Assurance Framework which sets out its approach to providing assurance that commissioning functions are carried out safely and effectively by ICBs.

Pharmacy: Digital Technology

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) automated dispensing technology, (b) digital consultations and (c) other digital technologies on levels of efficiency in the pharmacy sector.

Neil O'Brien: Between 16 March and 8 June 2022, the Government ran a consultation on proposals to enable all pharmacies to be able to access external hub dispensing services facilitating greater use of automation. An impact assessment which takes into consideration the role of automated dispensing technology in the hub and spoke model was completed as part of this work. The impact assessment is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1057447/hub-and-spoke-dispensing-impact-assessment.pdfThere will be synergistic efficiencies gained by using hub and spoke dispensing and original pack dispensing (OPD) supporting the highly automated processes that hubs are likely to employ. Between 1 November and 13 December 2021, the Government consulted on proposals to enable OPD. The consultation response is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/original-pack-dispensing-and-supply-of-medicines-containing-sodium-valproate/outcome/original-pack-dispensing-and-medicines-containing-sodium-valproate-consultation-responseThe Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, published on 9 May, commits to significantly improving the digital infrastructure between general practice and community pharmacy by introducing interoperable digital solutions to support secure communications between general practice and community pharmacies. There are no plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of digital consultations and other digital technologies on levels of efficiency.

Primary Health Care: Pharmacy

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, published on 9 May 2023, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of the pharmacy sector in helping patients to monitor (a) high blood pressure and (b) other long-term conditions at home.

Neil O'Brien: On 9 May, as part of the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, we announced a further investment of up to £645 million over two years to expand the role of community pharmacy including the expansion of existing blood pressure services. This service offers a blood pressure cuff check, as well as ambulatory monitoring where appropriate. General practitioners can also refer their patients directly to the community pharmacy for ambulatory blood pressure measurements, supporting care closer to home and self-care. Pharmacists are experts on medicines and any prescription which is dispensed by a community pharmacist requires the pharmacy to provide to the patient information and advice including how to use the medicines safely. This includes products patients require to monitor their long-term conditions, for example blood glucose testing strips for diabetic patients and peak flow monitors for patients with asthma.

Primary Health Care: Pharmacy

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, published on 9 May 2023, whether pharmacists will be able to (a) amend and (b) add entries to shared patient medical records.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, published on 9 May 2023, whether pharmacists will be able to refer patients directly to other healthcare professionals.

Neil O'Brien: The Delivery plan commits to significantly improving the digital infrastructure between general practice and community pharmacy. Community pharmacists will be allowed to access patients’ records, view previous interventions and results, and populate those records with standardised messages related to the service provided.Community pharmacists are already required under their Terms of Service to signpost people to other health and social care providers and support organisations. The Delivery plan will support interoperable digital solutions to make referrals from general practice and between community pharmacies easier.Pharmacists will be able to add entries only on those interventions undertaken as part of the service.

Rheumatology: Health Professions

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) Allied Health Professionals entering specialist rheumatology training.

Will Quince: The Government has funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places per year for domestic students in England, which is a 25% increase, taking the total number of medical school places in England to 7,500 each year. This expansion was completed in September 2020 and delivered five new medical schools in England. It will help ensure a larger potential pipeline for rheumatology trainees in coming years. In January 2023 Health Education England announced that nearly 900 additional medical specialty training posts have been created for this year, including five rheumatology posts.Specialising in Rheumatology is a post-registration option for nurses and allied health professionals. The Government is on track to ensure there are at least an additional 50,000 nurses in place by 31 March 2024 compared to September 2019, which will increase the pool of nurses who may wish to specialise in rheumatology.

Primary Health Care: Pharmacy

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, published on 9 May 2023, what her planned timetable is for working with suppliers to identify medicines which could be reclassified from being available only on prescription to being available in a pharmacy.

Will Quince: Discussions with suppliers’ representatives will begin shortly. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency are eager to support this process and provide expertise to ensure reclassification can proceed from both a pharmaceutical control and safety perspective.

Prescription Drugs

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of medicines that were prescribed by doctors that were not available on local formularies in the last 12 months; and if he will make an assessment of the impact of medicine availability on prescriptions made by doctors.

Will Quince: No estimate has been made as the information requested is not held centrally. The purpose of a formulary is to guide prescribers to preferred products rather than mandating what they can and cannot prescribe. Prescribers are still able to prescribe medicines that are not listed on a formulary.

Liver Diseases: Screening

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing FibroScans in primary care to improve early diagnosis of non-alcohol related fatty liver disease.

Helen Whately: The Department has not made a specific assessment of the potential merits of introducing FibroScans in primary care to improve early diagnosis of non-alcohol related fatty liver disease. However, a practice has clinical discretion to decide if a FibroScan is necessary and appropriate for a patient and can either provide directly or through a provider, typically a hospital out-patient appointment.In addition, NHS England have confirmed they have begun to assess the introduction of FibroScans through Community Diagnostic Centres. £2.3 billion is being spent to increase the number of Centres diagnosing liver disease to at least 100 sites by March 2025. This will boost diagnostic capacity to diagnose liver disease and improve earlier diagnosis and health outcomes.

Supported Housing: Disability

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care report published in March 2023, whether the amount of money she plans to spend on supporting people to remain in their homes by adapting or maintaining them, including funding classified in that document as unallocated, will be (a) equal to (b) greater than or (c) less than the amount of funding announced for that purpose in the People at the Heart of Care White Paper in December 2021.

Helen Whately: In People at the Heart of Care, we announced that £573m would be available for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) in each year from 2022-23 to 2024-25. This funding is designed to support people to remain in their own homes by adapting them so that they are safe and suitable. The allocation for the current financial year was made on Wednesday 10 May.Next Steps to Put People at the Heart of Care reiterated the commitment to this level of funding and announced a further £102m (£50m in 2023-24 and £52m in 2024-25) for housing adaptation support. This is in addition to the amount of dedicated funding announced in the People at the Heart of Care White Paper. The increase will enable local areas to fund supplementary services that are agile and help people stay independent, support hospital discharge, and make minor adaptations.

Dementia: Information

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department provides information to patients following a (a) stroke or (b) heart attack on the symptoms of vascular dementia.

Helen Whately: The Department does not provide information to patients following a stroke or heart attack on the symptoms of vascular dementia. Local services in the National Health Service are responsible for providing information to patients following a stroke or heart attack on ways to reduce their risk of vascular dementia.

Dementia: Information

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information the NHS provides to patients following a (a) stroke and (b) heart attack on the symptoms of vascular dementia.

Helen Whately: Local services in the National Health Service are responsible for providing information to patients following a stroke or heart attack on ways to reduce their risk of vascular dementia.

Rheumatology: Health Services

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the provision of rheumatology care in Bootle constituency in the last (a) 12 and (d) 24 months.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made.

Hospital Beds: Standards

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reintroducing permanent and specialised convalescent homes, or similar institutions, in the context of levels of availability of hospital beds.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made. Convalescent homes are an early example of a facility providing intermediate care. NHS England’s Delivery Plan for Recovering Urgent and Emergency Care Services sets out scaling up intermediate care as one of three priorities to improve discharge and therefore free up hospital beds, alongside improving joint discharge processes and scaling up social care services.NHS England has begun a programme of work to develop and pilot a new approach to intermediate care, working with local authorities and voluntary and community partners.

Integrated Care Boards

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Integrated Care Boards have (a) patient and (b) other representatives of the public on their boards.

Helen Whately: The Health and Care Act 2022 sets out minimum membership requirements of the integrated care boards (ICBs) that include representatives from National Health Service trusts, primary care and local authorities. ICBs can, by local agreement, go beyond the legislative minimum requirements in order to address their local needs. Details of each ICB board membership is publicly available on ICBs websites and is not held centrally by the Department.

Liver Diseases: Screening

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor progress against the target to deliver FibroScan testing for liver fibrosis through Community Diagnostic Centres in England by March 2025.

Helen Whately: There is no national target specifically relating to the delivery of FibroScan testing for liver fibrosis through Community Diagnostic Centres in England by March 2025.Diagnostic checks are a key part of many elective care pathways. The NHS’ Delivery Plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care has an overall ambition that 95% of patients needing a diagnostic check will receive it within six weeks by March 2025.

Radiotherapy: Reform

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding to modernise the NHS's molecular radiotherapy infrastructure.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) expand service capacity and (b) ensure patients can access molecular radiotherapy treatments; and whether he plans to take further steps to meet anticipated levels of demand in the next five years.

Helen Whately: There are no current plans to provide additional funding to modernise the National Health Service molecular radiotherapy infrastructure. However, work is currently underway to revise the Brachytherapy and Molecular Radiotherapy Service Specification and to understand current service readiness to expand access to new molecular radiotherapy treatments, should they be approved by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). This will help to inform what support needs to be put in place. NHS England commissions treatments that have either been approved via the NICE technology appraisal process or NHS England’s clinical commissioning development process. Service provision will normally be reviewed at the point that new treatments are approved through either of these two routes. Where additional capacity is required to meet demand, this will be put in place.

Integrated Care Systems

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of regional variations in patient and public involvement in Integrated Care Systems.

Helen Whately: The NHS Act 2006, as amended by the Health and Care Act 2022, is clear that integrated care boards (ICBs) must make arrangements to ensure patients and the public are involved in the planning of commissioning arrangements or changes to those arrangements. Arrangements for public involvement, and principles for their implementation, must be set out in the constitution of the ICB. In addition, membership on the boards of integrated care partnerships typically includes Healthwatch and public representatives.Whilst the Government is clear about the importance of patient and public involvement, it is permissive in how this is achieved. This ensures each integrated care system can develop arrangements that are best suited to local circumstances and the needs of the local population.

Dementia: Diagnosis

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dementia diagnoses were made in (a) the London Borough of Hounslow and (b) Greater London in each of the last five years.

Helen Whately: NHS England collect data on the number of patients with a diagnosis of dementia. The data is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/primary-care-dementia-dataNHS England are not able to provide the data for Borough of Hounslow. The closest geography that we are able to provide is NHS North West London Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs) from March 2019 to March 2022 and for NHS North West London Integrated Care Board (ICB) for March 2023. The following table shows the data for of the number of dementia diagnosis in such area.YearAreaNumber of dementia diagnosesMarch 2023NHS North West London ICB12,410March 2022North West London Health and Care Partnership STP12,558March 2021North West London Health and Care Partnership STP11,993March 2020North West London Health and Care Partnership STP12,896March 2019North West London STP13,007 YearAreaNumber of dementia diagnosesMarch 2023London40,894March 2022London49,866March 2021London47,709March 2020London51,707March 2019London51,727

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to alert oncology departments (a) when new cancer treatments are approved and (b) how they should be implemented.

Helen Whately: NHS England funds National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended cancer medicines from the date of draft positive guidance and takes steps to alert National Health Service providers to NICE’s guidance. On the publication date of positive draft guidance for a cancer drug, NHS England issues a letter to all commissioned providers of chemotherapy services via regional specialised commissioning teams, and the clinical treatment criteria are also published on the CDF list at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-cancer-drugs-fund-list/The letter to providers includes the following information, details on the NICE recommendation, future commissioning requirements, for example, the date that the medicine will move into routine NHS funding and details on how providers will be reimbursed for the medicine.

Ozone: Health Hazards

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of occupational exposure limits for ozone on patients in the health care sector.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been. The Health and Safety Executive publishes guidance on health hazards and control measures in relation to ozone.

Hospital Beds

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients remained in hospital who no longer met the criteria to reside for each day between 1 May 2023 and 17 May 2023 for which data is available.

Helen Whately: Data for May has not yet been published. It is expected to be published around the 8 June 2023.

Hospices: Government Assistance

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support (a) adult and (b) children's hospices.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to develop a sustainable funding solution for hospices.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the delivery of inflation-related uplifts to statutory contracts with the independent hospice sector.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made. Palliative and end of life care, including hospice care, is commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs) in response to the needs of their local population. To support ICBs in this, NHS England has published and shared a range of resources including statutory guidance for ICBs, service specifications for adults and children and young people, and further commissioning-specific resources via the FutureNHS Collaborative Platform. Guidance for ICBs is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/palliative-and-end-of-life-care-statutory-guidance-for-integrated-care-boards-icbs/In addition, NHS England funded the establishment of seven palliative and end of life care Strategic Clinical Networks to work with integrated care systems to progress and implement sustainable commissioning models for equitable, high-quality services.NHS England implemented an Accelerated Development Programme during 2022/23 to build a community of practice and develop commissioning mentors, and funded Hospice UK to explore sustainable approaches to future care delivery.At a national level, NHS England has released £1.5 billion additional funding to ICBs to provide support for inflation, with ICBs deciding how best to distribute this funding within their systems. Additionally, NHS England has invested £25 million in the Children and Young People hospice grant in the financial year 2023/24.

Bipolar Disorder: Diagnosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of people who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: We have no plans to do so as the recording of diagnoses in mental health datasets is not mandatory and what data is held is not of sufficient quality to allow a meaningful estimate to be made.Prevalence data is essential in establishing need and unmet need in the population. The latest information on the number of adults with a diagnosable mental health condition was provided by the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey in 2014 and the commissioning and delivery of the next survey was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that services have been reporting increase in demand and changes in the complexity of cases, so it is likely that estimates from that survey are limited in what they can tell us about current prevalence. The Department has commissioned the next iteration of the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS), to provide estimates of the prevalence of mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder or similar, to inform service planning, commissioning and improvement. Fieldwork on the APMS has begun and will conclude Spring 2024, with reporting early 2025.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Medical Treatments

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure high quality treatment for people with OCD (a) in secondary care and (b) in other care settings.

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to (a) monitor and (b) publish waiting times for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with Exposure Response Prevention for the treatment of OCD within secondary care.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Long Term Plan commits an additional £2.3 billion a year for the expansion and transformation of mental health services in England by March 2024 so that an additional two million people, including people with Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), can get the National Health Service funded mental health support that they need.We expect services for people with OCD to be commissioned in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence‘s clinical guideline on OCD and body dysmorphic disorder: treatment [CG31]. The guidance includes advice on recognising, assessing, diagnosing and treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. It also aims to improve the diagnosis and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.People with obsessive compulsive disorder may also be referred to NHS Talking Therapies services or a specialist mental health service for treatment. We are expanding access to NHS Talking Therapies.Data on waiting times for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with Exposure Response Prevention for the treatment of OCD within secondary care are not available.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Independent Faith Engagement Review

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to accept the recommendations made in the Independent Review by Colin Bloom commissioned by his Department and published on 26 April 2023.

Dehenna Davison: Colin Bloom's report into faith engagement was carried out in his capacity as the Government's Independent Faith Engagement Advisor, and the Government is carefully considering the findings. A response to the recommendations will be issued in due course.

Regeneration: Rother Valley

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2023 to Question 183620 on Regeneration: Rother Valley, when the checks for the Capital Regeneration Project planning for Dinnington, South Yorkshire will be completed.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2023 to Question 183620 on Regeneration: Rother Valley, how long after the checks for the Dinnington, South Yorkshire capital regeneration project have been completed will the Memorandum of Understanding be signed and issued.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2023 to Question 183620 on Regeneration: Rother Valley, whether all capital regeneration projects will be issued signed Memoranda of Understanding at the same time.

Dehenna Davison: As set out in my previous response, the award of funding to the 16 Capital Regeneration Projects is subject to subsidy control checks . We are working closely with the local authorities to complete those as quickly as possible.Each Memorandum of Understanding will be signed when the check for the project is completed.

Housing and Public Buildings: Architecture

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of mandating new public buildings and houses to be built in the (a) Neoclassical and Georgian-style, (b) Gothic revival and Victorian-style and (c) Art Deco style.

Michael Gove: I am a strong supporter of the importance of beautiful design because we know that when homes and public buildings are beautiful they are more likely to attract community support. That is why our national planning policy stresses the importance of good design to create sustainable buildings and places. It encourages local areas to adopt their own design guides and codes, in line with the principles of the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code, including consideration of local context, identity, and the built form. Through updates to national planning policy we have placed greater emphasis on local authorities' pursuit of beautiful, and refusal of ugly development. Local areas are of course very welcome to prioritise design codes based around particular architectural styles.Through this and forthcoming legislative reforms, I want to see local authorities, and the communities they serve, empowered to bring forward new development which respects and enhances the areas in which they live and work.Our work in this area will be supported by the Office for Place, which will help in the preparation of design codes and research what is important to communities. We are also supporting 25 local authorities and communities to prepare design codes across England.

Planning

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether (a) National Development Management Plans, (b) local development plans and (c) the National Planning Policy Framework have planning primacy under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.

Rachel Maclean: The proposals set out in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill mean that planning applications would in future be decided in accordance with policies contained in the development plan for the area, and any applicable National Development Management Policies, unless material considerations strongly indicate otherwise.

Freehold: Service Charges

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to tackle concerns of freeholders subject to high estate charges.

Rachel Maclean: We want to make estate management companies more accountable to their freeholders for how their money is spent When Parliamentary time allows, the Government intends to legislate to ensure that freehold homeowners who pay estate rentcharges have the right to challenge their reasonableness and to go to the tribunal to appoint a manager to manage the provision of services.   In addition, we will remove the statutory right for owners of rentcharges to take possession or grant a lease of the property in the event of non-payment by the homeowner.

Local Plans

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether local plans can be amended to include a review process as a result of changes in planning directions.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department issues to inspectors working on local plans on meetings with interested parties to discuss the future of those plans.

Rachel Maclean: The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that Local Plan Reviews should be completed by local planning authorities no later than five years from the adoption date of a plan and should take into account changing circumstances affecting the area, or any relevant changes in national policy.For plans at examination, it is for the Inspector to decide whether a Local Plan should be subject to an early review and submitted to examination within a timebound period.The Planning Inspectorate provides training to all Planning Inspectors who undertake local plan examinations. This covers communication with the wide range of stakeholders interested in the process and are in accordance with the Franks' Principles of openness, fairness and impartiality.

GP Surgeries: Rents

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his officials will have discussions with their counterparts in the (a) Department for Health and Social Care and (b) Treasury on aligning guidance for the District Valuer Service on assessing a reasonable market rental value for GP premises as prescribed by The National Health Service (General Medical Services – Premises Costs) Directions 2013 with the criteria used by planning authorities when agreeing suitable Section 106 conditions with developers to meet the need for local GP services.

Rachel Maclean: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Almshouses

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to update the National Planning Policy Framework to (a) reflect the affordability of almshouses and (b) include them in the definition of affordable housing.

Rachel Maclean: Where almshouse organisations are registered with the Regulator of Social Housing and are letting homes at Social or Affordable Rent, or providing low-cost home ownership through shared ownership schemes, those homes are likely to fall within the definition of affordable housing in the National Planning Policy Framework.As part of the National Planning Policy Framework consultation between 22 December 2022 and 2 March 2023, we sought views on how we can help bring forward more community-led housing, including almshouses. We will be publishing a response to that consultation in due course.

Office for Local Government

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his timetable is for the Office for Local Government to start operating.

Lee Rowley: As the Secretary of State has set out, we have appointed an interim Chair, Lord (Amyas) Morse. Further details will be set out in due course.

Housing: Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to help improve indoor air quality in (a) social housing, (b) the private rented sector and (c) for homeowners through changes to planning regulations.

Lee Rowley: For properties in the private and social rented sectors we will use recommendations from the reviews of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and Decent Home Standard to support effective enforcement of quality and safety standards, including standards related to indoor air quality.

Harrow Council: Bankruptcy

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Harrow Council on the potential impact of bankruptcy at that council on public services; and if he will make a statement.

Lee Rowley: Local authorities are responsible for setting and maintaining their own balanced budget. Harrow set a balanced budget at Full Council on 23 February and the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2023/24 made available additional funding to Councils to assist in their work.The Department does not performance manage or inspect the financial position of councils. Officials do talk to local authorities regularly, and any authority worried about its ability to maintain a balanced budget should contact the department.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Nagorno Karabakh: Humanitarian Aid

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the availability of (a) food, (b) medicine and (c) energy supplies in Nagorno Karabakh; and whether his Department plans to help support international agencies to provide critical supplies to people in the region.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government closely monitors the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, and where we have concerns we have prominently highlighted them both in private engagements with our counterparts in the region, and publicly through the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the United Nations Security Council. The UK has a strong record of supporting humanitarian responses in this region and FCDO officials are in close contact with humanitarian agencies about the situation on the ground. The START FUND, a humanitarian response fund to which the UK is a significant donor, has allocated £350,000 to the region to support those affected by the closure of the Lachin Corridor.

Pakistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to support locally-led peace builders in Pakistan.

Leo Docherty: The FCDO supports a variety of initiatives to build political, cultural and religious understanding between Pakistan and its neighbours. These initiatives support wider regional stability and prosperity, whilst also reducing the risks of uncontrolled escalation towards violence.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Heat Pumps: Rural Areas

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to support households in off-gas-grid areas to transition to electric heat pump systems.

Graham Stuart: The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings. In addition, £6 billion of new Government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028. The Government is providing support for heat pump installations for off gas grid homes under a range of government schemes including the Home Upgrade Grant, Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, and Boiler Upgrade Scheme. The Government also provides consumers with tailored and impartial information on how to improve the energy performance of their homes through GOV.UK.

Biofuels: Vegetable Oils

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using hydrotreated vegetable oil as a fuel source for households in off-gas-grid areas.

Graham Stuart: The Government expects heat pumps will be the primary technology for decarbonising off-grid buildings. The Government recognises that not all off-grid properties will be suitable for a heat pump and there will be a role for alternative low carbon technologies where heat pumps cannot be used.

Renewable Fuels

Sir Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with the energy sector on levels of global production and supply of (a) hydrotreated vegetable oil and (b) other renewable liquid fuels; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications for UK domestic heating.

Graham Stuart: The Government meets regularly with the energy sector to monitor levels of global production and supply of renewable liquid fuels. The Government expects heat pumps will be the primary technology for decarbonising off-grid buildings. The Government recognises that not all off-grid properties will be suitable for a heat pump and there will be a role for alternative low carbon technologies where heat pumps cannot be used.

Biofuels

Sir Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish his Department's biomass strategy.

Graham Stuart: The Department plans to publish the Biomass Strategy before summer recess.

Heat Pumps: Housing

Sir Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the number of homes unable to take heat pumps because of (a) technical reasons and (b) affordability.

Graham Stuart: Analysis conducted by Government suggests it would be technically feasible to install a heat pump in around 90% of British homes, based on analysis of homes’ current energy efficiency and internal electrical limit. Practical considerations, like space availability or compliance with planning regulations, may limit where heat pumps can be installed, but we are supporting innovation to develop solutions to these challenges. The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament towards clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings, including the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Home Upgrade Grant and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, which support the installation of heat pumps.

Buildings: Carbon Emissions

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has published recent guidance for the (a) owners and (b) operators of large buildings in Greater London on replacing ageing (i) gas boilers and (ii) combined heat and power units with zero or ultra-low emission alternatives.

Graham Stuart: The Department has not published guidance for owners or operators of large buildings in London on replacing ageing gas boilers. Powering Up Britain sets out the Government's ambition to phase out new and replacement natural gas boilers by 2035. In September 2021, the Government issued a call for evidence – ‘Combined heat and power: pathway to decarbonisation’ – in which it sought views on potential decarbonisation options. The feedback has been published and is informing future Government policy.

Solar Power

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent steps he has taken to encourage the use of solar energy in the UK.

Graham Stuart: The Government is incentivising large-scale solar through the Contracts for Difference scheme, and rooftop solar through various financial and regulatory measures. These include the Smart Export Guarantee, removal of VAT on domestic panels, tax relief and business rate exemptions. The Government is exploring low-cost finance options to support upfront costs for households and businesses and is reviewing permitted development rights to simplify planning for commercial projects. The Government will publish a solar deployment roadmap in 2024 and has established a taskforce to drive forward further actions needed to achieve the ambition of around a fivefold increase in solar capacity by 2035.

Energy Charter Treaty

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of the UK withdrawing from the Energy Charter Treaty.

Graham Stuart: The UK has been a strong advocate for modernising the Energy Charter Treaty, recognising the urgent need to align it with modern energy priorities, international treaty practice and commitments on climate change. The Government is assessing the situation regarding Energy Charter Treaty modernisation, considering stakeholder views in business, civil society and Parliament. The Government will keep the House informed of relevant developments.

Renewable Energy: British Virgin Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support the British Virgin Islands to achieve its renewable energy targets.

Graham Stuart: The British Virgin Islands and other British Overseas Territories have delegated responsibility for their energy systems. The UK Government, however, has supported renewable energy projects through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) administered by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. In 2021/22, the CSSF provided over £300,000 for renewable energy projects in the British Virgin Islands, including a £115,000 project to install solar panels on a clinic and a school.

Ministry of Defence

Destroyers and Frigates: Deployment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2022 to Question 13040 on Destroyers and Frigates: Deployment, how many days each Royal Navy (a) frigate and (b) destroyer spent at sea in 2022.

James Heappey: The information requested is given in the following tables. Type 45 DestroyersNAME OF SHIPNUMBER OF DAYSDARING0DAUNTLESS63DIAMOND114DRAGON18DEFENDER106DUNCAN62 Type 23 FrigatesNAME OF SHIPNUMBER OF DAYSARGYLL21IRON DUKE0KENT127LANCASTER165MONTROSE212NORTHUMBERLAND191PORTLAND152RICHMOND145SOMERSET52ST ALBANS0SUTHERLAND0WESTMINSTER90 The normal operating cycle of every ship involves them entering different readiness levels depending on their programmes, periods of refit and Departmental planning requirements. In addition, these figures represent days at sea, and it should be noted that, while deployed away from the UK, ships will spend both days at sea and alongside in ports around the world. Some of the above figures may differ from those provided in previous Parliamentary Questions or Freedom of Information responses, as greater accuracy has been achieved by an update to fleet scheduling software in 2022.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Military Bases

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential importance of the Chagos Islands as a military asset.

James Heappey: The joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia continues to play a crucial role in combating some of the most challenging threats to regional and international security, including those from terrorism, organised crime, instability, and piracy.

Middle East: Drugs

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the consequences for his policies of (a) Hezbollah’s alleged involvement in the smuggling of narcotics and (b) the production of Captagon in the Levant.

James Heappey: The UK remains committed to the stability and security of the Levant and broader Middle East, and reducing the threat posed by malign state and non-state activity, including the smuggling of narcotics. The UK announced sanctions on key actors involved in the Captagon trade last month. We engage regularly with partners to support co-operation efforts and to encourage the publication of relevant data on the trade, including successful seizures.

Falkland Islands: Fishing Vessels

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to protect and safeguard Falkland Island fishing stock in sovereign waters against unlicensed vessels.

James Heappey: The management of fishery protection in the Falkland Islands is the responsibility of the Falkland Island Government. British Forces South Atlantic Islands monitors maritime activity in Falkland Islands fishing conservation zones as part of its routine surveillance and monitoring of the waters around the Islands.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

James Cartlidge: Water and wastewater services across the majority of the Defence Estate sites in Great Britain are provided by five service providers. Those service providers have confirmed to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) that a total of 102 sewage leaks have been recorded from sewage treatment facilities on the Defence Estate within the last 12 months. The sewage leaks occurred at four sites: Culdrose, RAF Henlow, Lyneham, and Faslane, all of which have a Storm Overflow Consent issued by the regulator (The Environment Agency for England and Wales, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) for Scotland). The MOD complies with appropriate legislation and Environment Agency requirements.

HMS Venturer

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department expects HMS Venturer to be handed over to the Royal Navy.

James Cartlidge: On current plans, the first Type 31 Frigate HMS Venturer will be 'in the water' in 2023 and, as the first in Class, is scheduled to be delivered to the Ministry of Defence in 2025.

Clyde Naval Base and RNAD Coulport: Finance

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the budget allocation is for capital infrastructure projects at (a) Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport and (b) HM Naval Base Clyde in (i) financial year 2023-24 and (ii) subsequent financial years.

James Cartlidge: The table below shows the budget allocation for infrastructure at HM Naval Base Clyde over the period up to financial year (FY) 2032-33.  FY2023-24FY2024-25FY2025-26FY2026-27FY2027-28FY2028-29FY2029-30FY2030-31FY2031-32FY2032-33Location£million£million£million£million£million£million£million£million£million£millionRNAD COULPORT32.20739.19736.58790.92798.609120.01785.43660.89848.27026.117FASLANE71.256130.274158.494167.347140.31241.51655.48637.89548.28659.589

Clyde Naval Base and RNAD Coulport: Finance

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much capital infrastructure funding has been provided to (a) Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport and (b) HM Naval Base Clyde in each of the last five financial years.

James Cartlidge: Over the last five financial years (FY), expenditure on infrastructure at HM Naval Base Clyde has been as follows:  FY2018-19FY2019-20FY2020-21FY2021-22FY2022-23Location£million£million£million£million£millionRNAD COULPORT43.61241.94643.01841.95246.232FASLANE90.80683.64255.87182.52864.836

HMS Venturer

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's expected timeline is for HMS Venturer being put into the water.

James Cartlidge: On current plans, the first Type 31 Frigate HMS Venturer will be 'in the water' in 2023 and, as the first in Class, is scheduled to be delivered to the Ministry of Defence in 2025.

Department for Education

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average funding per pupil in mainstream schools was in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Through the schools National Funding Formula (NFF), the Department calculates notional funding allocations for each mainstream school. These school level allocations are added up to calculate a total allocation for each Local Authority. Local Authorities then set their own local formulae to distribute their total allocation between all the schools in their area. This means that schools receive their budget allocation based on their Local Authority’s formula.The table below shows the average funding per pupil provided for mainstream schools in the Enfield North constituency, the London Borough of Enfield and London through the schools NFF.The per pupil funding amounts exclude ‘growth’ funding, which is funding to support schools seeing significant growth in pupil numbers. Financial yearEnfield NorthEnfieldLondon (inner and outer)2019/20£5,151£5,099£5,4262020/21£5,366£5,270£5,5192021/22£5,730£5,629£5,9042022/23£5,879£5,779£6,0492023/24£6,235£6,106£6,337 On top of this funding through the schools NFF, all schools in Enfield North received additional funding through the Schools Supplementary Grant (SSG) in 2022/23, worth an average additional £172 per pupil. They are also receiving funding from the Mainstream Schools Additional Grant (MSAG) in 2023/24, worth an average additional £212 per pupil.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: Telephone Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls to the Future Pension Centre helpline were not answered in the period since 26 February 2023.

Laura Trott: The Department does not hold the data requested.

Workplace Pensions

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring employers to provide information on workplace pension (a) automatic enrolment and (b) opt-out notices in a non-digital format to assist employees without access to digital communications.

Laura Trott: There are no plans to place an additional statutory requirement on businesses to provide non-digital opt-out notices and information on automatic enrolment (AE). Detailed guidance from The Pensions Regulator (TPR) specifically asks employers to consider the appropriateness of the format of the information they are providing to their workers (such as digital access). This is ultimately a choice for individual employers and pension schemes to make based on their own circumstances and considering employee/member needs. Further guidance from TPR is available to aid employers in fulfilling their AE obligations, including on providing information on AE and the right to opt-out (at section 5). This guidance is available here: Information to workers - automatic enrolment detailed guidance for employers | The Pensions Regulator

Workplace Pensions

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of requiring employees who have opted out of a workplace pension scheme to be automatically re-enrolled every three years.

Laura Trott: The government continues to advocate for the importance of pension saving which offers greater financial resilience in later life. Automatic Enrolment (AE) has transformed pension participation rates, with 86% of eligible private sector employees saving into a workplace pension in 2021, up from 42% in 2012. AE was deliberately designed with an opt-out to give people choice, enabling them to decide if saving for a pension is right for them given their circumstances and affordability. This is why when an individual makes the decision to pause or cease contributions, the AE framework requires their employer to re-assess and re-enol their eligible employees every three years, which prevents individuals from falling out of pension saving in the medium to long term. The re-enrolment regime has been successful, seeing 1 million eligible job holders automatically re-enrolled since the introduction of AE in 2012.

Pension Credit: Applications

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners have been waiting more than three months for an outcome of their pension credit application.

Laura Trott: As of 23 May 2023, the number of customers waiting more than 61 days for the outcome of their Pension Credit application was 7,213. This is due to the complexities of each case which can range from awaiting National Insurance Number allocation, requesting information from third parties such as Local Authorities, Solicitors and where we are awaiting documents from the customer which are needed to finalise their claim. The Management Information used has been taken from the same operational source data systems as our published administrative data. However, as this Management Information is not a recognised National or Official Statistic, it has not been subjected to the same level of Quality Assurance. As a result, these figures should be treat with caution.

State Retirement Pensions

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has plans to fully fund the State Pension.

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a sinking fund to fully fund the State Pension.

Laura Trott: There have been no assessments made regarding the potential merits of establishing a sinking fund. The Government has no plans to change the funding arrangements for the State Pension, which is paid for through the National Insurance Fund.

Personal Independence Payment: Disability Aids

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2023 to Question 184992 on Personal Independence Payment: Dentures, whether his Department has a list of aids and appliances that are recognised for claimants of the Personal Independence Payment.

Tom Pursglove: The DWP does not hold a list of aids and appliances that are recognised for claimants of the Personal Independence Payment. Aids and appliances are devices which improve, provide, or replace, the claimant’s impaired physical or mental function. For the purpose of the PIP assessment, aids and appliances may be everyday objects, but whether they are considered as aids in any particular case, depends on how the claimant uses the object compared to how (if at all) it might typically be used by someone with no relevant impairment. Where the object would usually or normally be used in the same way by someone without any limitation in carrying out the relevant activity, it is unlikely to be considered an aid or appliance.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of Personal Independence Payment reassessment applications (a) were assessed by a Decision Maker from his Department without being referred to a Health Care Professional and (b) were referred to a Health Care Professional.

Tom Pursglove: The information requested is available - however, anomalies have been found which means that the data is not considered reliable in its current form. Therefore, I will write once this data is available and place a copy in the House Library.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nature Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect critically endangered species in the UK.

Trudy Harrison: Legal protection for our most threatened native species is already provided by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulation 2017. Defra is committed to taking action to recover our endangered native species. Through the Environment Act 2021, we have set four legally binding targets for biodiversity in England : to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; then to reverse declines by 2042; to reduce the risk of species extinction by 2042; and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042. We have set out our plan to deliver on these ambitious targets, along with our other environmental targets, in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan published 31st January 2023. Our new Environmental Land Management schemes will pay for sustainable farming practices, creating and preserving habitat such as woodland, heathland, and species-rich grassland, as well as making landscape-scale environmental changes, all of which support species recovery. Additionally, Natural England recently launched the Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme which will provide targeted funding to reversing the decline of England’s most threatened species.

Sea Level

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of rising sea levels.

Trudy Harrison: UK marine and coastal areas are being impacted by climate change, including through sea level rise. These impacts have consequences throughout the UK on livelihoods, ecosystems, communities and society. In the UK we are committed to ensuring that climate change adaptation, resilience and mitigation are fully considered and integrated in our policies. Under the Climate Change Act, government committed to laying policies and proposals before parliament to address risks identified by the third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3). It will do so through the third National Adaptation Programme (NAP), due to be published in 2023. Through the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP) we are also improving our understanding of the impact of climate change and rising sea levels. MCCIP engages with a wide range of scientific authors to supply policy makers and the public with updates on the current and predicted impacts of climate change. As climate change leads to sea level rise and more extreme rainfall, the number of people at risk from flooding and coastal erosion is likely to grow. The Government announced in March 2020 a record £5.2 billion investment over 6 years in flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England. In July 2020, the government published a long-term Policy Statement, which sets out our ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk.

Butterflies: Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of trends in the number of butterflies.

Trudy Harrison: The Government’s indicators of the abundance of UK butterflies show that since 1976, populations of habitat specialists have declined significantly, though species of the wider countryside show no significant change. Since 2014, both trends show no significant change. We are keeping these trends under review as encouraging but not yet definitive signs of progress. Butterflies are important pollinators. We are taking action alongside many partners to implement the National Pollinator Strategy’s provisions as recovering the numbers of declining pollinator species is a priority for this government. In England, we have set a legally binding target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and action towards this target includes specific action which will help butterflies. We are restoring and creating habitat for wild and managed pollinators to thrive; addressing pressures including by supporting Integrated Pest Management (IPM); raising awareness across society so that people can take action themselves; and supporting monitoring and research. To strengthen our pollinator evidence base we work closely with leading academics and have introduced a national pollinator monitoring scheme across the whole of the UK, with trend estimates published annually as official statistics. Trends in the abundance of butterflies are also reported in the England and UK biodiversity indicators, based on data collated through the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS).

Livestock: Dogs

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on tackling the matter of dogs attacking livestock.

Mark Spencer: Guidance is available to educate owners about handling their dogs responsibly in the vicinity of livestock, in order to prevent the occurrence of attacks or chasing. The Countryside Code highlights that it is best practice to keep dogs on a lead around livestock.

Public Footpaths

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to create a network of shorter walks to encourage people to engage with walking.

Trudy Harrison: England has a fantastic network of paths with some 120,000 miles of linear access through England’s countryside, and we are taking steps to improve this further. For example, we are designating Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route across the north of England as a new National Trail, crossing some of our most precious national landscapes making it accessible to cyclists and horse riders where it is feasible to do so. One of the benefits of designating the route as a National Trail includes circular paths and link routes making the trail more accessible to those interested in taking shorter walks locally. The Bridlington to Filey stretch of the King Charles III England Coast Path (KCIIIECP) was also recently opened, connecting thousands of people to the Yorkshire coast. Over 850 miles of the path are now open to the public, with over 2,000 miles having now been approved as KCIIIECP. The path links to many existing walking routes, increasing the number of shorter and circular routes available. We are also improving the way in which rights of way are recorded by implementing a package of reforms to reduce bureaucracy and speed up the process for new rights of way to be added to the legal record for everyone to enjoy. More broadly, we are taking steps to increase the availability of green and blue spaces for everyone to enjoy, which will also increase the availability of walking routes. In January, we announced a new commitment to work across government to help ensure that everyone lives within 15 minutes’ walk of a green or blue space. This commitment builds on work that is already happening across government. Initiatives such as DLUHC’s Levelling Up Parks Fund, Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework, DfT’s funding for active travel, and Defra’s Urban Trees Challenge Fund are all contributing already.

Countryside: Disability

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help (a) wheelchair users and (b) people with limited mobility to access the countryside.

Trudy Harrison: The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is continuing to deliver projects which will increase access to and engagement with nature. This includes work to ensure that the countryside is accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. For example, are delivering the £14.5m ‘Access for All’ programme, which consists of a package of targeted measures in our protected landscapes, National Trails, forests and the wider countryside to make access to green and blue spaces more inclusive. More than £3.5m has already been spent on making our protected landscapes more accessible, including on: resurfacing paths; replacement of stiles with accessible gates; new benches and resting stops; accessible viewing platforms and the provision of new all-terrain trampers to support disabled people to access the countryside. We are also making the King Charles III England Coast Path (KCIIIECP) as accessible as possible and have considered disability from the start in our development of the new Coast to Coast (C2C) National Trail. Specifically, ways in which the KCIIIECP and C2C are being created to maximise their accessibility include:Removal of stiles wherever possible;Replacement of infrastructure with more accessible alternatives wherever possible e.g. replacing kissing gates with gaps or wicket gates;Signposting of step-free or more accessible alternative routes;Creating a British Sign Language version of promotional videos for launches of new stretches of National Trails;Developing the C2C using a package of measures to realise long term benefits such as maximising access links for people with limited mobility, horse riders, cyclists; identifying and developing links to communities; developing circular paths; development of community engagement; information provision.

Plastics: Treaties

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of progress by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a UN plastics treaty.

Rebecca Pow: The UK is proud to have supported the proposal by Rwanda and Peru that led to the ambitious resolution on ending plastic pollution agreed at the 5th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022. A series of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meetings is now underway to negotiate the content of the treaty, with good progress being made. The second of five planned INC meetings will take place 29 May – 2 June in Paris, with the aim of concluding negotiations by the end of 2024. Whilst the timeline to agree this global Treaty is short, this reflects the urgency needed to tackle plastic pollution, alongside the strong global political will for an agreement. The UK supports a combination of international obligations and national measures across the whole plastic lifecycle to ensure that the Treaty can adequately address the transboundary nature of plastic pollution. As one of the founding members of the high ambition coalition of countries calling for an end to plastic pollution by 2040, the UK will do all we can to press for the agreement of a high ambition Treaty by the end of 2024.

Environment Protection: Urban Areas

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what responsibilities (a) her Department, (b) the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and (c) Natural England have for research into green and blue infrastructure.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in what way responsibility for research into green and blue infrastructure is shared between her Department, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Natural England.

Siobhan Baillie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what responsibilities (a) her Department, (b) the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and (c) Natural England have for research into the benefits of green and blue infrastructure.

Trudy Harrison: Natural England launched the Green Infrastructure Framework: Principles and Standards for England in January 2023. During the course of developing the Framework they produced and commissioned research, working with government Departments for: Environment Food and Rural Affairs; Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; Transport and Health and Social Care. They also sought wider from input from experts in public bodies and private organisations to steer and advise. Natural England and Public Health England (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities) published a Rapid Scoping Review of Health and Wellbeing Evidence as part of the project. In addition, Defra has also funded research into the economic modelling of accessible green space across England and Wales, known as the Outdoor Recreation Valuation tool. As set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023, we will use the Green Infrastructure Framework to track progress in our commitment for everyone to have access to green or blue space within 15 minutes from their front door

Saltmarshes: Carbon Capture and Storage

Siobhan Baillie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to help finance (a) research on and (b) delivery of salt marsh restoration projects as a contribution to the national evidence base on carbon sequestration.

Trudy Harrison: Through the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership, Defra is working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero alongside the other UK Administrations to address key research questions relating to blue carbon habitats, such as saltmarsh. In 2022, the UK Government launched its £140 million Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme, a flagship three-year R&D programme, spanning England’s land, coast and sea. The programme includes mapping of blue carbon stock and sequestration rates in important coastal environments such as saltmarsh habitats, alongside wider ecosystem services which provide societal, ecological and economic benefit. The Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative is working to restore our estuarine and coastal habitats to benefit people and nature. The EA’s restoration handbooks are a key tool to support restoration of coastal blue carbon habitats in the UK and beyond. We are also supporting direct investment into saltmarsh restoration through our £80m Green Recovery Challenge Fund, which is supporting nature recovery projects across England. The Government is supporting eight blue nature finance projects, including blue carbon, with around £750,000 of grants through the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund. This funding is being used to develop a pipeline of projects that can demonstrate viable private-sector investment models, ultimately working to restore important blue habitats such as saltmarsh.

Drinking Water: Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) developing and (b) using regenerable per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances as absorbing materials to help reduce the levels of carcinogenic and other toxic substances in drinking water.

Rebecca Pow: The drinking water supply in England is of exceptionally high quality. Nevertheless, the Drinking Water Inspectorate has led the way through water safety planning to drive risk based research should there be the potential to change our world leading position. The removal of PFAS by barrier and adsorption methodologies is an ongoing DWI funded project due to report in the summer of 2024.

Women and Equalities

STEM Returners Programme

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what progress she has made on the STEM returners programme.

Maria Caulfield: Following the launch of the STEM returner programme in February, we have run a successful recruitment campaign to engage potential participants. Through press, social media and targeted referrals, we have recruited the first cohort of returner participants, who began a course of bespoke training and support at the start of May. Employers have also been engaged, with insight events held in Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham. Training for employers is due to commence at the end of June and registrations will remain open until 25 June 2023.

Equal Pay

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what progress she has made on the pay transparency pilot.

Maria Caulfield: Following the answer to PQ number 185706, work on pay transparency will now fall within the remit of the Inclusion at Work Panel, as part of their role in considering the range of tools and practices which may maximise the benefits of diversity and inclusion.

Equal Pay

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the status is of the gender pay gap regulations review.

Maria Caulfield: We were required to publish a review of the gender pay gap reporting regulations after they had been in force for five years; as is the case for many other business regulations. This was published last month and the Post-implementation review can be accessed here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/172/resources

Equal Pay

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how much funding the Government has allocated to the pay transparency pilot.

Maria Caulfield: As part of the Inclusive Britain report, we committed to launch an Inclusion at Work Panel - made up of academics and practitioners in business. The Panel will develop and disseminate resources to help employers more effectively improve belonging, nurture talent, and root out ineffective diversity and inclusion practices in the workplace. Existing evidence shows that pay transparency may play a role in reducing unfair pay disparities. Given that the Inclusion at Work Panel will be independently considering the range of tools and practices which maximise the benefits of diversity and inclusion, we have taken the decision to bring the consideration of pay transparency work within their remit.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Science: Research

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps to support the (a) growth and (b) commercialisation of scientific research in Havering.

George Freeman: The Government has raised support for research commercialisation to its highest level ever. For example, the Higher Education Innovation Fund, supporting knowledge exchange between universities and the wider world, is £280m for academic year 2022-23, including £20m for commercialisation, and spinouts can access financial support like Innovate UK Smart Grants. The Government also helps businesses take advantage of innovation. For example, Innovate UK’s EDGE gives innovative businesses the wrap-around support and leadership and management skills they need to scale up, commercialise, and access new markets. Barking & Dagenham and Havering received £1.08m of UKRI spend in 2020-21, supporting research, development and innovation.

Research: Expenditure

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department plans to take to support cross government research and development spending.

George Freeman: On March 6th 2023, the Government launched its Science and Technology Framework, setting the government’s Science and Technology agenda up to 2030. This framework, led by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, will challenge all of government to put the UK at the forefront of global science and technology and create a coordinated cross-government approach. Optimising public and private sector investment in research and development (R&D) is one of the framework’s 10 strands. This includes the Government’s pledge to increase public investment in R&D to £20 billion by 2024/25 - the largest increase in public R&D budget over a Spending Review period.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Reorganisation

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many former staff from the Departments for (a) Business, Innovation and Skills and (b) Digital, Culture, Media and Sport were moved to her Department.

George Freeman: The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology is completing the transfer of around 935 staff from the former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and around 800 staff from the former Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The staff data is live and so this number may move slightly ahead of the legal transfer date which will be in mid-June. This does not include staff from BDUK, who will be transferring sponsorship to DSIT, but not employer.

Ministry of Justice

Family Courts: Training

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing specialised training to (a) administrative and (b) auxiliary staff in the Family Court service on domestic violence including (i) recognising it, (ii) supporting vulnerable individuals and (iii) how to report concerns.

Mike Freer: HMCTS staff are trained to support vulnerable individuals by providing practical protections, such as, protective screens, video links, and access to separate waiting rooms and separate entrances in accordance with the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and Part 3A of the Family Procedure Rules. All staff follow safeguarding policies to recognise vulnerable individuals and report concerns. Staff complete annual training on safeguarding, and domestic abuse training is currently being updated in conjunction with HMCTS’ Domestic Abuse Working Group which includes judicial members and representatives from a Women’s Centre.The Government is delivering on commitments made in response to the final report of the Expert Panel on Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Cases. This includes working with across the family justice system to improve training on domestic abuse and to provide all professionals with the tools to effectively support vulnerable parties.

Criminal Proceedings: Mental Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he plans to take to ensure that people in the criminal justice system have immediate access to pre-trial trauma services.

Edward Argar: Supporting victims of crime remains a top priority of this Government. Victim support services are available to all victims of crime at any stage, whether or not they have chosen to engage with the criminal justice system. To ensure that victims are able to access the support they need, the Ministry of Justice is more than quadrupling funding for victims and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41m in 2009/10. This includes annual grant funding for Police and Crime Commissioners to commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. This funding will also build resilience into services, ensuring consistency in the support that victims receive and will ensure that high quality support is available to victims when needed.

Intimate Image Abuse: Convictions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number of individuals convicted of revenge porn in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of convictions for the offence ‘8.19 Disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress’ in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2022.

Knives: Crime

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing sentences for (a) knife possession offences and (b) other offences involving a knife.

Edward Argar: Sentencing is a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council. In recognition of the seriousness of offences related to knives, the law provides for minimum custodial sentences for repeat knife possession and offences that involve threatening with a weapon. Measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act which came into force in 2022 strengthened existing legislation to make sure that the courts always impose at least the minimum term unless there are exceptional circumstances. On 18 April the Government launched a 7-week consultation on proposed legislation to tackle knife crime and particularly the use of certain types of large knives and machetes in crime. The proposals provide a multifaceted and focused approach, which we believe will target criminals whilst still allowing the general public to pursue their employment and pastimes with minimal disruption. The consultation may be viewed at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/machetes-and-other-bladed-articles-proposed-legislation.

Repossession Orders: Private Rented Housing

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether HM Courts and Tribunals Service plan to recruit additional staff to support repossession cases in preparation for when Section 21 evictions end.

Mike Freer: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) recently introduced the Renter’s (Reform) Bill to Parliament. This bill includes the provision to end Section 21, also known as ‘no fault’ evictions. DLUHC and MoJ are jointly working on the Justice Impact Test (JIT), an MoJ tool to identify, quantify and cost the impacts of the Renter’s Reform Bill on the civil justice system.The scale of any resource requirement resulting from additional impacts on the justice system, will be subject to agreement between MoJ and the policy-owning department.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many possession notices issued by private residential landlords in England and Wales cited antisocial behaviour as a reason in the most recent period for which data is available; and what the average (i) mean and (ii) median time was between a private residential landlord in England and Wales applying to the courts to repossess a property to the repossession taking place in such cases.

Mike Freer: The MoJ does not hold data on possession notices issued by landlords outside the court process. The MoJ publishes statistics here on the volume and timeliness of possession claims brought to court but we do not record the grounds for possession and therefore cannot extract claims relating to antisocial behaviour from other possession claims.

Department for Transport

Electric Scooters: Pilot Schemes

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to extend the rental e-scooter trials beyond 31 May 2024.

Jesse Norman: The e-scooter trials were extended to 31 May 2024 to gather further evidence where gaps are identified, and to build on the findings of the current evaluation. No decision has been made on extending the trials beyond this date.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Jesse Norman: There were five minor sewage leaks recorded within the Department for Transport estate during the last 12 months.For one instance, the leak was identified and resolved quickly by the facilities management team.For the four other instances, these were contained within the building or within the property demise and did not enter the surface water drainage system.

Roads: Oxford-Cambridge Arc

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has received the Oxford to Cambridge Arc Roads Connectivity Study commissioned by his Department.

Mr Richard Holden: We are expecting to be in receipt of the Oxford to Cambridge Arc Roads Connectivity Study shortly.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department takes to help ensure continuity in the inspection of vehicles as part of the MOT process.

Mr Richard Holden: For all vehicles that require an MOT, the MOT status is checked when motorists renew their Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). An MOT must be in place prior to VED being renewed. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) provides the ‘MOT reminder service’ (https://www.gov.uk/mot-reminder). Motorists can use the service to sign up to get free reminders, by text message or email, when their vehicle’s MOT is due. Motorists can also use the ‘MOT history service’ (www.gov.uk/check-mot-history), for all categories of vehicle, to check if the vehicle has a current MOT, when the next MOT is due, and see any defects or advisories listed against the vehicle.

A30: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the A30 as a secondary route for the M3.

Mr Richard Holden: It would be for Hampshire County Council as the Local Highway Authority to bring forward a proposal at the next funding opportunity and to argue its case in whatever selection process is agreed upon.

Public Transport: Disability

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled people have equal access to public transport.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government’s priorities for improving access for disabled people are set out in the Inclusive Transport Strategy (ITS), which aims to address Government’s ambition for disabled people to have the same access to transport as everyone else and to be able to travel confidently, easily and without extra cost.The strategy included commitments and actions across all modes of transport, on which we are making good progress. Recent delivery progress includes:introducing regulations requiring bus companies to provide audible and visual announcements on board services;the Access for All programme, which has so far provided step free, accessible routes at over 220 rail stations and smaller scale access improvements at 1500 more, with more on the way;publishing an Aviation Passenger Charter, providing a single point of information for consumers on their rights and responsibilities when travelling by air;relaunching the Inclusive Transport Leaders Scheme (ITLS), an accreditation scheme which provides a framework that operators can use to make their services more accessible to disabled people.

Motorways: Safety Measures

Ashley Dalton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what impact the Government's announcement on scrapping new smart motorways will have on existing smart motorways.

Mr Richard Holden: I refer the Honourable Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 17 April 2023.

Roads: Chesterfield

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of the Chesterfield and Staveley Regeneration Route.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department has received an Outline Business Case (OBC) from Derbyshire County Council (DCC) in January 2023 for this scheme. Following an initial review by Department for Transport officials, a number of clarification questions have been raised with DCC. Once the Department receives their response, the assessment of the scheme, as required for all Major Road Network / Large Local Majors programme schemes at this stage of development, will be completed.

Speed Limits: Greater London

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with the Mayor of London on the increased use of 20mph speed limits on roads in London.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department has not had any recent discussions with the Mayor of London on the use of 20mph speed limits on the roads of London.Local authorities have the power to set speed limits on their roads. In London, it is the London Boroughs who are the highway authority, except for all red routes for which Transport for London is the highway authority.

Cabinet Office

Death: Greater London

Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May to Question 183298 on Death: Greater London, how many total deaths excluding excess deaths due to COVID-19 of people aged 30 years and older were there in Greater London in each year between 2018 and 2022.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths from all causes there were in people aged 30 and older in (a) East Midlands, (b) East of England, (c) Greater London, (d) North East, (e) North West, (f) South East, (g) South West, (h) West Midlands, (i) Yorkshire and Humber and (j) England in each year since 2018.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths from all causes excluding covid-19 there were in people aged 30 and older in (a) East Midlands, (b) East of England, (c) Greater London, (d) North East, (e) North West, (f) South East, (g) South West, (h) West Midlands, (i) Yorkshire and Humber and (j) England in each year since 2018.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Questions of 19 May are attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 144.6KB)